1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper feeding device and a printer having the paper feeding device, and more particularly to a paper feeding device having a paper feeding guide in which the paper fed through a first paper feeding path portion is fed by a paper feeding roller mechanism to a second paper feeding path portion extending in a direction intersecting with the first paper feeding path portion, and which is provided with first and second main planar portions for defining outer side walls of the first and second paper feeding path portions. The present invention also relates to a printer having the paper feeding device. The present invention also relates to a paper feeding device formed in a limited narrow space as in the case where thermal sensitive continuous paper having a small width wound in the form of a roll in the vicinity of a small size printer such as a thermal printer, integrally built in an electronic equipment such as a small size handy type game machine, and and relates to a printer having such a paper feeding device.
Throughout this specification, the "outer side wall" of the side wall of the paper path portion means the side wall on the side in which the path is convex in the case where the paper feeding path as a whole is bent on one side. Also, the expression that one paper feeding path portion is "extending in a direction intersecting with" another paper feeding path portion means the arrangement in which the two paper path portions are intersected with each other in the case where the two paper feeding path portions are extended straight, respectively. An angle defined by intersecting the two paper feeding path portions may be about 90.degree. or more or less.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 7, a conventional printer 110 is so constructed as to feed, by a paper feeding roller mechanism 103, the paper introduced through a first paper feeding path portion 101 to a second paper feeding path portion 102 extending in a direction intersecting with the first paper feeding path portion 101. A paper feeding guide 108 has a first main planar portion 106 and a second main planar portion 107 for defining the outer side walls of the first and second paper feeding path portions 101 and 102, respectively.
In the conventional printer 110, a rotation of an output shaft of a motor 3 mounted on a frame 111 to be mounted on a body of the instrument is transmitted through a gear mechanism (not shown) to a feeding screw 112. The rotation of the feeding screw is converted into a reciprocating motion in a paper width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 7) along a guide shaft 114 of a head carrier body (head carriage) 115 through a feeding screw pin 113 engaged with a spiral groove on an outer periphery of the feeding screw. At the same time, when the head carrier body 115 is moved forwardly in a direction A1 from the front side to the rear side of the paper surface of FIG. 7, a predetermined print is performed by a thermal head 116 onto the paper located between the thermal head 116 carried on the carrier body 115 and a platen rubber body 119 on a platen body 118 biased by a platen spring 117. A paper feeding roller driver body 123 is rotated through a plurality of one-way clutch type spiral claw portions 122 by a pin 121 biased by a spring 120 when the head carrier body 115 is moved back in a direction A2 of FIG. 7, so that rubber rollers 124 coaxially formed at both ends of the paper feeding roller driver body 123 is rotated by a predetermined angle, thereby feeding the paper clamped between the rubber rollers 124 and an idler roller 125 by one line.
In this conventional printer 110, the interval between the first main planar portion extending in the horizontal direction and the second main planar portion 107 extending in the vertical direction as viewed in FIG. 7 is connected with a slant surface portion 126 slanted substantially at an angle of 45.degree.. In the case where new continuous paper having a width of about 4 cm is inserted between the platens 118 and 119 and the thermal head 116, the leading edge of the paper is inserted from the first paper feeding path portion 101 and is deflected upwardly at the slant surface portion 126 by utilizing the slant of the slant surface portion 126, to be fed to the paper clamping portion between the rollers 124 and 125.
However, in this conventional printer 110, in the case where the thick paper having a thickness of, for example, about 0.1 mm is used, the leading edge of the paper is not sufficiently deflected at the slant surface portion 126 of the paper feeding guide 108. The leading edge is abutted against, for example, the bent portion between the slant surface portion 126 and the second main planar portion 107, and is subjected to resistance which may cause the paper to become hooked hooked actually. Thus, there is a fear that the leading edge of the paper would not reach the clamping portion between the rollers 124 and 125.